Tools for the Wandering Artist

When traveling for work or recreation I like to take time to make little bits of art. Sometimes the airport layover becomes more than you bargained for; or the weather doesn’t agree with your beach plans. It’s always nice to have a little toolkit on hand in these situations.

I have taken each of these toolkits with me on my travels and in my carry-on luggage with no problems.

I’ve provided links for the main bits. None of them are affiliate links – just sharing the love.

Watercolor Toolkit

This business card-sized palette, includes little removable pans on a magnetic base. The underside of the lid is a wipe-off palette for mixing. How cute is it? I filled it with my favorite Golden QoR watercolors and slip it in the drawstring pouch with a filled waterbrush. You can get one for yourself at https://expeditionaryart.com/shop/art-toolkit/#the-pocket-palette.

Pocket Palette for watercoloring

Sketching and ZenTangle Toolkit

I fill a 24-slot Copic Marker wallet, admittedly to the brim. But you probably could do with the smaller counterpart. http://tinyurl.com/jmvscwj. I love bringing my Sketch grays along with both Copic-friendly pens, and water-media friendly pens. Also, a Sepia and Gray get mixed into there; as well as a white gel pen or two in the zipper pouch. You can fit some Zentangle tiles in here too.

Copic Marker Wallet

Monoprinting Toolkit

Monoprinting on the road has never been easier with a 3″ x 5″ Gel Press plate. A few 20ml tubes of acrylic paint from Pebeo and an Ranger Inky roller go in my bag; along with a tiny Moleskine that needs lots of background work to start an art journal. The Gel Press plate doubles as a mixing palette if you want to bring along a paintbrush as well. You can get the 3″ x 5″ plate at http://tinyurl.com/gnadx8t and hit the road, printing!

3×5 Gel Press(tm) plate and 20ml Pebeo Acrylic Paints

These artist toolkits are small enough to slip in your tote bag. So there is no excuse not to take your art-making on the road!

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About Sally Lynn MacDonald

Sally Lynn often mixes her love of creating and teaching art with her high-tech side – blending a love of handmade art with hybrid-digital media in what she playfully calls her ‘studio lab’. Every now and then her large-format printer is subjected to printing on a surface that definitely is not listed in the owners’ manual.

She is a maven for studio organization, using her abilities to use spreadsheets and databases to bring order from chaos. “It’s marvelous when the right and left brain actually work together in the studio!” Read More…